The Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies program (GWS) was founded in 2004 after several students, along with Professors Elizabeth DeWolfe and Jennifer Tuttle, its co-founders, successfully lobbied the then-dean of the College of Arts and Sciences to request the introduction of a Women’s Studies program.
The first student in that program graduated in spring 2004, retroactively being given the Women’s Studies minor, as they had already taken all the necessary coursework.
Over the past 20 years, the program has evolved, with its name and content being changed and expanded. As UNE has grown, so too has the student body, and the program now reflects that growth. Gender, and later sexuality, were introduced to the minor as part of the program’s focus of study.
“Current students will be surprised at how applicable and useful this particular program can be in any future, whether you’re headed into the social sciences, or politics, if you’re in the humanities, going into teaching, or a stem field. Everyone is going to encounter women, people of different genders, and the question of sexuality in their adult lives, so this is a program of study that’s going to serve you in whatever you do and wherever you live in your future,” said Dr. DeWolfe.
The Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies program has one of the widest course catalogs in the School of Arts and Humanities, with classes taught by professors of both The College of Arts and Sciences and the Westbrook College of Health Professions.
The minor is also open to any student regardless of their college and provides courses that count toward the UNE Core curriculum.
“My favorite thing about the program is the customize your core piece… some students go, ‘Why do I have to take all the gen ed classes?’ Well, because we believe in a liberal arts education, but you can pick your gen ed classes to be things that you really are interested in,” said Dr. Linda Morrison, the Program Coordinator.
The effect that the Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies program has had on UNE’s campus can be seen everywhere. “If you go into many restrooms on campus, you might see free menstrual products. Well, that is a result of something called the Free Your Period campaign, which was initiated by a student… when she was taking Intro to Women’s and Gender Studies with Professor Julie Peterson,” said Dr. Tuttle, co-founder of the program.
The GWS’s 20th Anniversary Event will be held this Thursday, October 10th, in the Bush Center Boardroom. The reception will start at 5:30, and the event will feature a guest panel of alumni who will talk about the importance of minors in college.
There will be an opportunity for discussion and questions after the presentation. All students are welcome!
If you cannot attend or simply want to know more about the history of the GWS program, Tempest, the Arts and Humanities Podcast, will be releasing an episode covering the event later this month.
Check out past episodes of Tempest here, or subscribe on Spotify.
